Subaru has just released photos of its soon-to-be-launched 2011 Impreza WRX STI sedan from the Nurburgring race track. Described by the Japanese automaker as the firm’s “fastest WRX STI ever”, the 2011 STI lapped the Nurburgring race track in an impressive 7 minutes and 55 seconds in the hands of four-time World Rally Champion, Tommi Mäkinen.

For those keeping track, rally legend and Porsche test driver, Walter Röhrl, lapped the ‘Ring with the 368 kW Panamera Turbo in an unofficial time of 7 minutes and 56 seconds, while Cadillac’s 414 kW CTS-V clocked a 7m59s lap in 2008.

But there’s a catch; the 2011 STI that lapped the ‘Ring was in Subaru’s own words, a prototype model. According to the company, the test car combined a series of production performance upgrades from the JDM-only R205 and C-Spec STIs including a larger turbocharger with some additional mods such as under body aero parts and aluminum fenders.

That means you can’t actually compare this Subaru’s lap time with that of other unaltered production models.

You can however compare it with similar, previous generation prototypes of the Impreza that Subaru has tested over the years at the Nurburgring. The first Impreza prototype to be clocked at the Nurburgring was a non-STI WRX model in 1992 that marked a lap time of 8m28s.

After the first introduction of WRX STI version in 1994, a WRX STI version III prototype was raced at the course in 1996, recording a lap time of 8m10s, or 18 seconds faster than the 1992 model.

The second generation WRX STI, introduced in 2000, was tested at the ‘Ring, but according to Subaru, safety measures added weight to the car and the lap time of this model did not meet the company’s expectations. In other words, it was most likely slower than the 1996 model. Not surprisingly, Subaru did not release a lap time for the 2000 STI.

The facelifted 2002 Impreza WRX STI test car recorded a lap time of 8m06s while the updated 2004 model broke the 8-minute barrier at 7m59s. That was the most recent Nurburgring lap time as the company claims that even though it lapped the third generation Impreza STI in 2008, “rainy conditions made the tests incomplete for the lap time comparable to the previous records.”

So there you have it. Enjoy the gallery below.

Adapted from Carscoop

Meet the Subaru Impreza STI CS400, a.k.a the Impreza Cosworth. In short, the 2,5-litre engine has been tuned to 295 kW – a massive 74 kW gain over the regular STI – allowing the 0 – 100 km/h time to drop by 1.5 seconds to a claimed 3.7 seconds. Only 75 examples will be built and that’s about all that’s been made public so far.

So how did this exclusive STI come about? Well, Subaru, anxious to restore some much-needed sporting credibility to the Impreza, approached Cosworth about a possible collaboration 15 months ago. This may seem an unusual partnership given Subaru’s historic ties with Prodrive in the UK, but Cosworth already had experience with the turbocharged flat-four through its US tuning division. Based in California, it has been modifying boxer engines for the West Coast tuning scene for several years – often extracting between 440 and 600 kW.

So five Imprezas were delivered to Cosworth’s unassuming headquarters in Northampton for work to be carried out. Although you might think of Cosworth as a company known exclusively for engine tuning, the company’s talents in fact run deeper. The firm took responsibility for the entire development process, the result of which is a car with new Eibach spring and Bilstein damper units, a 10 mm front suspension drop, a 10 mm wider rear track and AP Racing front brakes with six-pot calipers gripping 355 mm discs with a unique groove pattern.

The aim wasn’t to create a trackday special, but a fast road car, one that retains the driveability of the standard STI but, in the words of Kenyon Neads, Subaru UK’s marketing director, “takes it to the next level”. Neads says “When you do drive it, I think you’ll find that the dynamics, the composure, stability and power delivery has created a very different and better car.”

The understated appearance of the CS400 backs up his assertions. The rear wing is unaltered, the wheels are still ‘only’ 18-inches, and the colour choices are limited to silver, red and the dark grey pictured here. Look closer and you might spot the new mesh grille, badges and the darkened glass – besides the Cosworth branding, each car will wear an engine signature and a numbered plaque on the door sill.

Inside, the seats have been re-trimmed and feature fatter bolstering, while the liberal application of piano-black inserts has helped lift the ambiance a fraction – though it still doesn’t look or feel like it costs almost double that of a standard STI, which it does.

However, Neads says “This is the ultimate manifestation of where we think we can take the STI, but this partnership with Cosworth is ongoing”. In other words the two firms have invested heavily in this car – too heavily for them to call it quits after just 75 units. So expect to see another model, probably with around 260 kW in future.

One final thought about the CS400. The reputations of both firms are on the line: for Subaru this is a chance to prove it hasn’t lost its touch, that the hatchback Impreza platform can play host to a drivers’ car every bit as good as the old saloons. For Cosworth this is the first time its name has appeared on a road car since the demise of the Escort Cosworth in 1996. Both are determined to get it right. Let’s hope the chemistry has worked.

Adapted from Evo

Subaru have been making changes to its third generation Impreza WRX in stages. First came the hatchback, then came the sedan and now an aggressively styled widebody design has been added to the mix.

Both the hatch and sedan get the new pumped-up sheetmetal, giving the sedan a much needed injection of testosterone. With a more aggressive stance the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX gets a 38 mm wider track front and rear, wider 17-inch wheels and the rear subframe bushings from the STI, all help to keep it stuck to the road better than the outgoing model.

The designers didn’t stop with the sheetmetal changes, the front end gets a restyled front lip spoiler with a larger blacked out grill and intakes. The WRX has gained 15.42 kg, the turbocharged 2,5-litre flat-four produces 197 kW of power, which hardly notices the extra weight and backs up the go-fast looks with, well, the ability to go fast!